Family
by Icy Cake
Summary: The Dawn Brigade are more than just a band of bandits... They are a family.


A/N: Hello! This is my first Fire Emblem fanfic and it was most inspired by Radiant Dawn. Although it was a good, challenging game, it really lacked in character development. I miss the support conversations from Path of Radiance. I really favour the original Dawn Brigade over the Greil Mercenaries and because of that, I have written this! This was inspired from the conversation between Nolan and Micaiah when he had told her that the Dawn Brigade were her family. (Part III, Chapter 6).

Enjoy!

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Two cloaked figures walked slowly through the busiest market street in Nevassa. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention from a few armoured soldiers clad in red, the pair acted naturally. Or so they tried. 

The air was stiff with apprehension between the citizens of Daein and the soldiers of Begnion. Nearly every merchant and every person walking in the streets kept their heads low and their eyes away from the crimson armour. The usual noise of a busy street was quieter than most days due to the authoritative forces working at hand.

The two whom strode like normal men, kept their heads low as they made their way past a pair of patrolling soldiers. The shorter one tensed as the Begnion soldiers drew close. Instinctively, his hand went to the hilt of his blade hidden under the cloak.

He held his breath as one of the guards brushed against his shoulder. His senses became alert and his body became rigid to prepare for any unwanted confrontation. The soldier gave no mere indication or notice to him as they passed one another – much to his relief.

Giving one final glance behind him, he smiled triumphantly and exhaled his held air.

"Let's hurry," he whispered to his companion whom nodded with agreement. Together, they broke into a sprint and entered the nearest alley.

His companion let out a heavy sigh. "Every time… my heart becomes unsteady when I see them and I get rather nervous," he softly spoke, his voice shaking from the close encounter.

The other smirked. "You are never like that when the others are with us. It's all the same," he said, slightly teasing.

His blond-haired friend rolled his blue eyes and snorted. "Honestly, Edward, you are just the same as I," Leonardo retorted. "You were trembling when those soldiers drew near."

"I was not," the myrmidon countered with a pout. "Just a tad nervous but I was definitely _not_ trembling in my boots."

The archer lightly smiled and gave him a sideways look. "My eyes never deceive me."

Edward huffed in annoyance, hating the fact that Leonardo had the sharpest eyes of the group – well, perhaps second to Sothe.

They slowed when they neared the end of the alley. Leonardo advanced to one corner while Edward went to the opposite. Warily, they scanned the street for any Begnion soldiers and saw four huddled in front of a pub, deeply immersed in their conversation.

"Four… By the Goddess, if we can get past them unnoticed, we'll be able to reach the rendezvous point in time," Leonardo informed as he brushed a nervous hand through his long hair.

The swordsman stuttered as he failed to remember one important fact. "Oh… Where were we supposed to meet again?" he sheepishly asked.

He received a pointed look from the blond archer. "Honestly, Edward! How do you manage on your own sometimes?"

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes. "I manage quite fine, thank you," he muttered. Edward leaned against the wall in a casual manner. "I just forgot. It was too early in the morning."

Leonardo sighed, forming a small frown. "I suppose you're right… I can't really remember what Nolan wanted us to pick up on our way there." He rubbed his chin in thought.

Edward shrugged and crossed his arms. "Well, seems like I'm not the only one who's forgetful. Let's hurry – eh, where are we meeting again?"

"The overview hideout," the archer answered sullenly. He nodded at the other and made his way out of the alley. Edward followed right behind.

They held their heads low as they walked into the direction of the chatting guards. Again, Edward fell tense as he approached them, his one hand lingering on the hilt of his sword under the brown cloak. He kept his focus on Leonardo's back while maintaining constant awareness.

The guards spoke loudly. Practically everyone on the street could listen in on their conversation. It was typical Begnion soldier talk – complaints of work, boredom and lack of respect around the city. Then, just as the two cloaked boys were nearly past them, one of the soldiers changed the subject.

"Damn the Dawn Brigade," one gruff man growled, "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have to patrol these stinking streets everyday."

Edward automatically slowed in his steps as he wanted to hear more.

"General Jarod would kill you if he heard that," another muttered lowly.

"He would kill us even as we speak," the first man replied. "We'd better get back to searching."

"The sooner we find those wretches, the safer we'll be," said another.

Edward flinched and quickly hastened his steps to catch up to Leonardo. He moved calmly, acting as if he heard nothing. He took a careful peek over his shoulder and saw that the guards had yet to move. Mentally, he scoffed at them. It was a good thing that Begnion soldiers were mostly lazy when they were away from their boss.

Leonardo cut into an alley and Edward was right behind. The myrmidon ended up running into the archer.

"Hey! Why'd you stop… for?" the swordsman managed to finish asking just as he saw the looming figure of a Begnion Armour Knight standing before both rebels.

The knight raised an annoyed eyebrow at them. "What do you brats want?" he barked, making Edward cringe in fright. The size of the man in suited armour was overwhelming compared to the young swordsman. Not once had Edward ever confronted a knight up close – they rarely patrolled the streets. It came much to a surprise when he nearly ran into one unexpectedly.

"Uh… Um…" Leonardo began to utter, visibly shaken with fright.

Edward swallowed his fear and timidly took over for his friend. "W-We were just on our way," he quickly answered. He back peddled, pulling the marksman by the shoulder to return to the street.

Once they traveled far from the scene, Leonardo heaved a weary sigh. "That was a close one. My nerves are shaking," he told the other.

"Tell me about it," Edward confided as he kept his eyes peeled for anymore soldiers. "That's a first I've seen a knight around these parts. They must be getting serious about this. We better tell Micaiah."

The archer lightly smirked. "I bet she already knows."

Edward chuckled at how truthful that was. "Right, right."

Although that alley they were forced to pass was the shortest way to the rendezvous point, the pair had no choice but to take a longer route. Up the stone steps that led to the heart of the city, they made their way quickly through the buzzing plaza. Of course, the centre of the Nevassa boasted the most guards out of any other section of the city.

If the other members of the brigade knew that they chose the most dangerous route, surely, two out of the three of them would be absolutely furious. The two youngest members of the group were constantly told to avoid the plaza at all costs.

With that in mind, the boys traveled as silently and quickly as possible. They bumped into numerous people and tripped over many feet but they had managed to maneuver their way through without too much trouble. No guards even bothered to care about them when they passed by which meant that the two blended with the crowd perfectly. Already, it was looking to be an easy stride to the hideout. Edward was practically smiling.

They diverted from the plaza and onto a road that would eventually lead them to their destination. It was a backstreet well-known to be the slums of Nevassa. Thieves, crooks, bandits and the like dwelled within the roughened street. However, since Begnion were on the lookout for a band of brigades, the slums were also alive with soldiers, causing many of the occupants to flee or hide.

Lately, the slums appeared to be bare with a few shady characters loitering about but not too much activity. As the boys made their way through quietly, none of the people paid much attention to them, which was rather fortunate. All seemed to go smoothly but it all ended when a strong hand roughly grabbed the front of Edward's cloak. With a yelp of surprise, the boy came face-to-face with a burly man that was twice his size.

Eyes that were dark bore into the swordsman with a jaunting glare. "Well, well, a little rat in my territory," mocked the man. His hot, foul breath made Edward cringe in disgust but he kept his own gaze stern.

He was _not_ afraid of a bandit – they were unlike the Begnion soldiers. They had no authoritative power and no forces to fear so what reason was there for Edward to be afraid?

The same could be said for his companion whom acted quickly with silent grace after the sudden encounter. An arrow, held ready within its bow, was pointed directly at the man. "Pardon me, _sir_," Leonardo hissed with malice, "If you do not unhand my friend here, I shall unleash this arrow through your skull."

That loosened the bandit's grip on Edward's cloak. The boy pulled free and drew his blade. With wide-eyes, the man slowly backed away. "Don't you have anything else to do?" the swordsman muttered at the man in disgrace. "Begnion soldiers are everywhere. Better to hide, don't you think?" (Ironically, his own words implied to him as well.)

"Tch. Damn rats!" the bandit cursed under his breath as he turned tail and ran.

Edward couldn't help but grin. "We showed him, eh?" he said in satisfaction as he sheathed his sword.

Leonardo shook his head as he gave the other a stern stare. He was about to say something but someone else beat him to it.

"You two did well dealing with that guy," praised a familiar voice right above them.

Crouching on the ledge of the nearby stone wall was Sothe, a well respected member of the group. Edward brightened visibly from the rogue's words and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Oh! Uh, yeah! We did it in a general manner as so you've said we should."

Sothe soundly smirked. "You two are late, you know," he stated blatantly.

Both of the boys on the ground visibly flinched. "We must apologize for our tardiness," Leonardo began.

"Begnion guards are everywhere," Edward explained. "They even patrol the_ alleys_! T'was hard finding another route."

The rogue lightly shook his head. "That's fine. It's best to avoid any trouble but I do recommend to _not_ go through the plaza if possible."

Again, the two flinched. "H-How'd you know?" the swordsman asked in a timid tone.

"It was only an assumption," the older boy answered. His golden eyes became stern. "With so many guards, one wrong move will be the end of you. Remember that, you two."

"Y-Yes," Leonardo replied quickly with a nod. "It was a mistake on our part."

Sothe waved a hand and resumed his normal composition. "You both made it through so I have no complaints. Now head on to the hideout – Oh, and, did you two remember the salt?"

The archer smacked his forehead. "Oh! Salt! That was it! How could I forget?"

Edward gave him a sideways glance with a raised brow.

"Micaiah had a feeling that you two would forget," said the green-haired boy with an amusing stare.

"She knew?" the swordsman exclaimed in astonishment.

"No, just a feeling this time." Sothe stood up and dabbed a thumb up the road. "Head to the hideout. I'll get the salt."

"All right. Sorry about that," Edward quickly apologized before the rogue leapt out of view. The swordsman was most amazed at Sothe's jumping ability and highly admired his fighting skills. In fact, he was rather envious at times at the many things the thief could do single-handedly. Edward wanted to be just like him!

Although they both felt guilty for leaving their given task to Sothe, they were also grateful that the rogue was easily forgiving. The two boys were the youngest of the group (however, Edward had always pondered about Micaiah's age for she appeared as young as they) and the least experienced. They both had trained hard under Sothe's and Nolan's guidance and practiced every day to gain new strength. The pair often made mistakes due to their inexperience but none of the older members ever showed any remorse for their actions. Micaiah would always support them to improve and Sothe would often explain to them what they had done wrong and how to work around it. Nolan, on the other hand, induced more training hours if their current situation would permit.

Edward crossed his fingers in hope that Nolan would _not_ enforce any additional training time to what the swordsman had already accumulated. (Five hours a day for one week was enough!)

Edward breathed in a savoury aroma just as they had reached the opening of the hideout which was once a three-story inn back in the days. Now, it was nothing but an old, rickety building missing its roof. It was full of dust and rats and some of the structure had rotted away on the shady side of the inn. Despite the awful condition it was in, it was still a rather cozy place to call 'home' when everyone was together. The overview hideout was Edward's favourite amongst the three the Dawn Brigade had. The other two hideouts, although were in safer parts of the city, did not provide a good view of Nevassa. Even though it was the slums, standing on the third floor and looking over the rooftops was better than looking at a stone wall. Plus, the air was fresher in the old inn because of its lack of closeable windows.

Upon the smell of food, Edward rushed through the doorway for his hunger was great.

"Edward, it's good to see that you made it," Micaiah greeted by the old wood-burning oven in the corner of the kitchen. She gave him a gentle smile as she stirred a dark pot. "Leonardo as well. You both did not run into too much trouble, right?"

The myrmidon nervously laughed. "Of course not! Nothing too troubling. Just a bandit. We took care of him without a hassle so it's all good."

"That's good to hear," said the man standing in the room. His back was turned to the boys as he was tending to something over a fire.

A stone pit, in the centre of the room held the fire. Nolan was roasting what looked like a large hunk of meat over the flames.

"Meat?!" Edward cried, his eyes wide and his stomach growling. It had been so _long_ since he had eaten any meat! So far, bread and cheese were the only foods that he had eaten in the past several months. Occasionally, he had some other things like fruit and nuts, depending on the success of their missions. But meat?! That was a rare food item. It was expensive and it spoiled quickly.

Nolan grinned when he saw the look on the boy's face. "That's right! You kids are nothing but skin and bones! It's time to put some meat on those scrawny little bodies," he said with a hearty laugh. "Micaiah, you as well!"

The silver-haired girl pouted. "I am well fit for my size," she retorted. Her golden eyes then fell back on the two that arrived. "Sit and rest. We are nearly finished."

The swordsman glanced over at the eating table and felt his jaw drop to the floor at the amount of food that had been prepared.

Leonardo was first to speak, "How did you guys obtain so much food? Surely, it must have cost a lot."

"Quite a bit, actually," Nolan answered with a chuckle. "We used up all of our funds for this special day."

"You have?" Edward exclaimed. He wasn't sure if he should feel pleased or horrified by that fact.

Micaiah nodded, giggling at his reaction. "Do not worry about the money," she said. "That's all it is. Today holds a special meaning and I wanted to make sure it was perfect for all of us."

That made the young sword-wielder smile with warmth. "You're right! Today should be a good day for us. It's time we deserve a break, eh?"

"That reminds me," Nolan began as he adjusted his hold on the thick wooden skewer that held the piece of meat. "Did you bring the salt?"

Edward looked sheepishly to the side while Leonardo nervously brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear. "We had forgotten," the archer replied. "Sothe has gone to get it."

"Oh! How could you? You can't eat a meal without salt," Nolan grumbled, mocking a look of disappointment. He soon started to laugh as he glanced over at the mage. "You were right that they would forget!"

"It was only a hunch," Micaiah told him plainly. "It was not the voice."

"We're sorry to have forgotten," the archer apologized.

"It doesn't matter," the fighter replied with a smirk. "There should be no worries today. Sothe will be right back with the salt, I'm sure. Now sit and take a break."

"I would like to help!" Edward offered, taking off his cloak and tossing it onto a pile of old, dusty crates.

Micaiah waved a hand at him. "We are nearly finished with the cooking. Just relax, Edward. Leonardo. Let us take care of everything."

The swordsman only nodded, feeling rather guilty for having not helped at all with the day's preparation. It was a special day for the Dawn Brigade – it had been exactly a year since they have been together under that name. It was a day to celebrate their one-year anniversary of success.

Edward plopped onto a crate that was used as a stool by the table. Leonardo joined him shortly after placing his bow and quiver by the back wall. "It's already been a year since we've been together," the blond-haired boy said with a small smile. "I'm surprised how fast time had gone."

"It's crazy, you know?" the myrmidon slowly began, an amusing smile forming on his lips as he played around with a wooden spoon on the table. "I was once an orphan living alone in the streets but now I have you, Micaiah, Sothe and Nolan. I'm really glad to have joined this rebellion. I'm proud to be part of the Dawn Brigade."

"As am I."

There was a tiny chirp to his right and Edward spotted that little pet bird of Micaiah's. She was resting on the windowsill, preening her feathers with her bill. "You too, Yune?" he asked the bird. She peered at him with her tiny beady eyes before flying off towards her owner. The young myrmidon always wondered if the creature could understand his speech or not. He simply shrugged at the thought.

It was not long until Sothe had returned with a small pouch of salt. (Not stolen, but _bought_ with the remaining gold they had.) With the food prepared and all members present, the Dawn Brigade began to enjoy their small feast.

Throughout the meal, they spoke of their past accomplishments through story and laughter. They shared moments of both fun and danger and many relations to each of their past. They even joked about certain things, managing a rare smile on Sothe's face. Sothe even told a few tales of his journey with the Greil Mercenaries, much to Micaiah's distaste. But that didn't stop her from teasing him for being an 'Ike worshipper'.

All in all, the Dawn Brigade enjoyed their one night of rest. It was a well-deserved celebration. They had once been strangers but now they had grown to be more than just rebels with a cause.

They were a family.

* * *

A/N: I hope it wasn't too bad. As I have mentioned previously, I love the members of the original Dawn Brigade. I brought each of them to the end tower because they were better than the Greil Mercenaries! (However, Leonardo was not exceptionally better than Rolf or Shinnon - he leveled up poorly but I brought him along anyway for his Avoid support with Nolan. Truthfully, I brought all three archers because they are my favourite class! But, I must digress...) 

Anyway, please leave a review! I'd love to hear how it was and if you liked it or not. Did I capture each character's personality correctly, I wonder? What do you all think?


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